Articles: sars-cov-2.
-
The primary target of SARS-CoV-2 is the respiratory tract; nevertheless, the virus can invade extrapulmonary organs, such as the nervous system. Peripheral facial nerve palsy has been reported in COVID-19 cases as isolated, unilateral, or bilateral in the context of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). In the present study, online databases, including PubMed and Google Scholar, were searched. ⋯ Finally, 36 patients with facial nerve palsy were included in our study using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or antibody SARS-CoV-2 positive test. Interestingly, 23 (63.8%) of these patients had no typical history of COVID-19, and facial nerve palsy was their first clinical manifestation. The present study concludes that there is enough evidence to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection may present with facial nerve palsy as the initial clinical manifestation.
-
The oropharyngeal (OP) and nasopharyngeal (NP) swab samples are the most recommended clinical specimens for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in an individual through the quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) method. The primary objective of this study was to compare the performance of NP and OP swabs for the diagnosis of COVID-19 among 2250 concomitant samples (1125 NP + 1125 OP) using rRT-PCR test. ⋯ The present study showed that both OP and NP swabs had similar sensitivity and specificity for predicting the presence of SARS-CoV-2.
-
Lombardy was affected in the early months of 2020 by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with very high morbidity and mortality. The post-COVID-19 condition and related public health burden are scarcely known. ⋯ These results provide a real-life picture of the post-COVID condition and of its effects on the increased consumption of health-care resources, considered proxies of comorbidities.
-
The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the Pediatric Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (PaedCTAS) in adolescent patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. ⋯ The findings suggest that PaedCTAS level 1-2 was the strongest factor associated with hospital and ICU admission. Almost all the patients who were discharged home had PaedCTAS level 3-5. Study findings suggest good performance of the PaedCTAS in this cohort.
-
Our objective was to safely and remotely assess longitudinal SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in at-risk health care workers at the onset of the epidemic. ⋯ This remotely conducted, contact-free study did not identify serologic evidence of widespread occupational SARS-CoV-2 infection in health care workers.